(Beginning of Year 2012)

“Miss Im, you’re ruining his life.” A woman brimmed with make up sat opposite of her in a high-class restaurant. Her fake curls twirls in annoyance and her thick red lips moved venomously.

Yoona stared at the earl grey tea she ordered and stirred it carefully, allowing the words she said flow out of her head.

“You are so stubborn,” she clucked her tongue in annoyance. “You claimed that you love him but yet you are ruining his future. It is starting to make sense now. You don’t love him, you’re after his wealth and don’t you dare to deny,”

Her head shot up and stared at her angrily. “Mrs Xi, please do not sprout senseless accusation. I am not eyeing on his wealth. If I am, why on earth will I encourage him to take on forensic psychology instead of inheriting his father’s business? You know that Luhan detest anything related to business and he has no intention in taking over the business. And yet you still force him to do that instead of realizing his dream. You don’t seem to understand that.” She pursed her pale lips together in a firm line and glared at her credulous accusation.

“I know my son very well, don’t you dare say I don’t.” Mrs Xi rebuked. Her eyes slit dangerously but she composed herself carefully and took a deep breathe.

“Alright, we shall not ramble onto something out of topic. The purpose of calling you here is to offer you a deal.”

Yoona scoffed in disgust. She was not interested in whatever deal she can offer.

She stood up and adjust her skirt before bowing, “I’m politely declining whatever deal you want to offer now, good day to you Mrs Xi,”

“1 billion won.”

Her shrilling voice called her before she left the room. Yoona rolled her eyes, “Mrs Xi, you don’t understand. You can’t buy love with money.” Before leaving the private room, the restaurant and back into Luhans’ arms.

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“I’m sorry I won’t gamble anymore please Yoona you have to help me-“ she shut her cell phone and tried to push the thought away.

Why must he be so greedy?

She tried not to let his words get her as she re read the passage again and again, trying to instill knowledge in.

She can’t study, not when her father’s voice rang in her head.

She sighed and picked up her bag before making her way to her father’s place.

“How much?” she frowned in disgust as she looked at the mess the debtors did. The older man scratched his head and look at her guilty. He smelled horrible and his chin was unshaven.

“5 billion,” he muttered and she immediately shot her head up.

“What on earth were you thinking when you gamble? 5 billion won? I don’t even think I have 1 billion?” she growled in anger. She was disgusted by her father and immediately left the house without looking back.

No, she’s not going to help him anymore, not this time.

It’s time he learn it the bitter way.

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“Yoona, I’m in the hospital right now-“

She rushed to the hospital immediately when she received the call and found her father sitting on one of the cheap plastic green chair, clutching his arm crying.

No, fathers shouldn't cry, they are suppose to be the pillars to support their child.

“They cut one of my fingers away Yoona, and they said that if I don’t pay up, they are going to cut my other 4.”

Her eyes immediately soften and comforted him.

He was his father and she loved him. This man might be greedy and gambles a lot, but the same man took care of her devotedly- she can’t possible leave him in the lurch.

(But she still didn't understand why must she be the pillar that supports him instead.)

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She laid her head onto his shoulders and hugged him tightly, inhaling his scent and warmth. Luhan chuckled at the sudden intimate act and hugged her back, rocking her slightly.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked.

Yoona shook her head and just hugged him. They stayed in that position for a while and Yoona savoured it. She honestly didn’t know what to do and how to raise the hefty sum of 5 billion won.

But she pushed that thought away and let the sweet presence of Luhan comfort her.

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“You’re a selfish friend Yoona. You took the scholarship away from her- her future and you had to take the love of her life away as well.” The mother of her deceased ex-best friend lashed at her when she attended the funeral that day.

“You know how much she loved Luhan and you just have to be selfish to take that away. At least give her the scholarship.”

The harsh words pierce into her heart as the tears threatened to fall.

Memories of her best friend, Yuri and her flashed before her eyes. Yuri was always there for her and yet she was not there for her when she needed her the most.

I’m such a bad friend, she thought.

I don’t deserve to cry, she wiped her tears away.

For the past year, both of them had a competition between Luhan, and Luhan chose Yoona, much to Yuri’s dismay. 

As shallow Yuri might be, their friendship was severed by that fact.

Yoona honestly tried to patch up the friendship, but when a scholarship deal appeared in front of her eyes, she took it. She didn’t know that Yuri was her competitor until now- all the patching she had made fell apart.

She composed herself and left the wake, she could not take the guilt that lived inside her anymore. It was agony because Yuri’s gone and there is no way she can ever pay it back to her.

Or maybe there is.

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She sat on her bed with her knees up and her head between. She stared at the phone and then the sky. Her mind was procrastinating but one side was clearly taking the lead.

She picked up the phone and dialed the number that she had never thought of dialing in her whole life and took a deep breath.

She pressed the call button.

Her decision was made.

“Mrs Xi, this is Yoona, regarding the deal…”

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They say that money cannot buy happiness- or at least that was what Yoona had thought before.

But no, it can. The bitter society taught her that.

It might not buy the happiness for her but it was able to buy happiness for other people. And Yoona was content that she had the ability to do that, despite her broken heart.

(And Luhan too will recover because time heals all wounds- or at least that was what she taught.)

(a/n) So this chapter is basically the flashback. Hope that it answers some of your questions and doubts! 

BY THE WAY Uberchrome and I set up a christmas collections of one-shot. It's basically a place when both of us complied our christmas-ish one-shot together and 'wrap it up' as a christmas present to her subscribers (and mine as well hehe)

So do check it out, the first chapter's up and the story was written by me. (although she had edited my grammar and proof read it for me)

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Thank you <3 Hope you enjoyed this chapter :3